A number of homes in Auchterarder were evacuated in the early hours of Sunday morning when a garage outbuilding caught fire.

Residents at the Feus end of the Lang Toon were woken by an exploding gas cylinder at around 3.30am, with officers from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service arriving soon afterwards, asking everyone to leave their homes and head to the police station.

A garage was ablaze and although the detached outbuilding was filled with ordinary household equipment and tools, it contained several gas canisters and there were fears there would be more dangerous explosions.

Ronnie Thom, owner of the property, said: “My wife Daisy heard something outside and got up. She shouted to me and while I shifted the car and the van away from the garage, she called the fire brigade.

“There was nothing we could do beyond getting out,” added Mr Thom, owner of Wheels Around, a company that supplies tyres to the Knockhill Racetrack.

The occupants of other properties to each side heard the noise of the fire.

Neighbour Tom Barratt said: “There was a loud noise, a popping sound. I first thought what I was hearing was wind and rain then there was an explosion.”

Tom and his wife stayed with family for the night, taking their two West Highland terriers with them.

Tom said: “My daughter and son-in law got a call at 3.30am and let us come to them. We didn’t fancy hanging around at the police station while they made safe the site of the fire.”

The retired oil industry worker was hosing down his driveway yesterday, concerned that the creamy flakes of material blowing over the dividing wall from where the fire was, contained asbestos.

He added: “I’ve been told to take off my shoes at the door. We have to wash out dogs’ paws before bringing them inside as a precaution.

“I’m very concerned that asbestos could be a danger as we have been told there was certainly some present in the garage that burnt down.”

Another local resident said: “The first I knew was a neighbour coming to our door. They were shouting for us to get our shoes on and get out.

“There was me, my husband, our eight-year-old daughter and her friend staying with us for a sleepover.

“We were ready with shoes and jackets on by the time the fire crew came knocking. We were first moved by firefighters to a house across the road, a safe distance away. The people living there took us in. We had two dogs and the children, it was very stressful keeping little ones and animals calm, all up in a stranger’s house at the back of 4am.”

The resident said they hadn’t known the family that gave them a safe place to wait while the burnt-out garage was made safe, but they were friends now after Sunday’s drama.

Other people were taken in on Sunday morning at the Community School of Auchterarder to rest and recover from their broken night.

There were no injuries and the garage was the only building affected.

A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “Perth and Kinross Council opened a rest centre at Auchterarder Community Campus at 8.15am on Sunday, September 23 to support residents evacuated from their homes following a garage fire in the Feus area of the town. Around eight residents made use of the centre before the they were able to return home late morning.”